Work Text:
It was late in the evening, the halls of the TBD empty except for the occasional piece of paper lying on the floor and a cookie who was still hard at work in her workshop. Croissant Cookie had a habit of overworking herself so it was not uncommon for her to be working while everybody else had already headed home.
She sighed, staring at a gear that refused to fit into the timecraft she was working on. Her eyes had large dark circles around them, a consequence of her lack of sleep.
She sat up from her chair, floorboards creaking beneath her. She determined that heading back to her house to finish her work would make help her think more clearly so she decided to clean up and head back to her home. Their legs trembled a little bit beneath their weigh, yet another side effect of her lack of sleep.
As she was cleaning up spare gears and broken parts from the table, she heard the sound of something dropping on the floor behind her! Croissant Cookie quickly turned around and saw... nothing. Just a cracked gear that had fallen onto the floor. She quickly dismissed the thought that somebody was in the room with her and thought it to be just the wind. That was, until she heard the distinctly mischievous giggle of her boss, (who just happened to be herself from another timeline) Timekeeper Cookie!
They rode upon their gilded Sonic Embroider, hovering just out of reach. "Still working at this hour?" They asked, glancing at a clock hanging above the doorway. Croissant's gaze followed theirs, meeting the clock. The smaller hand pointed just a little bit past the '10' mark on the clock, a ticking sound filling their ears, one that they had block out during their work.
Timekeeper chuckled again, that unwavering smile never leaving their lips. "I was just about to head out for the day," She responded. "But a certain somebody distracted me!" Timekeeper Cookie hovered closer to Croissant Cookie, all while perfect unnerving smile seemed to widen, until the two were only an arms length apart.
"I was just wanting to say hi to my favorite employee!" Timekeeper spoke energetically despite it being almost midnight. Croissant Cookie could feel Timekeeper Cookie's breath on her face, warm and buttery. She took a step back, her heart burning with an indescribable heat. "W-well if you could leave me alone I can head home.." They stammered, the burning in her heart spreading to her cheeks. Timekeeper Cookie, seeming to notice this, let out a laugh before responding.
"But that's no fun now, is it?" They moved closer, gently caressing Croissant Cookie's cheek, making her breath draw short. She felt her gaze getting caught their deep, almost hypnotic golden-yellow eyes. "What.. do you mean?" She managed to murmur out, still lost in the gaze of her other self.
"Welll.. I noticed that you have been sleep less recently," They touched a finger to one of the dark circles under her eye, causing her to blink in surprise, coming back to reality. "And what fun is it if my favorite employee can't even walk?" Timekeeper Cookie finished, gesturing to the legs of their past self that were still slightly shaking, but now for more than one reason.
Croissant Cookie sighed as they sat back down on their chair. "I do get some sleep, really! I'll even head back home right now..." She approached the doorway and was about to turn the corner when she felt something on their wrist. They looked up and saw Timekeeper Cookie floating above them, grasping her wrist with their hand. "Nope!" They exclaimed, their voice as joyous as ever as they pulled her back into the room. "I'm not letting you out of my sight until I make sure you get some rest!" They exclaimed.
Without saying another word, Timekeeper Cookie hoisted Croissant Cookie onto the Sonic Embroider causing her to yelp is surprise. A rift appeared from seemingly nowhere, leading into the swirling golden sea between timelines. The two zipped into the rift so quickly if felt like they were teleporting! The rift closed behind them and another one appeared before them, the other side shifting into the familiar scenery of her bedroom. The two dismounted the Sonic Embroider once safely inside her home. Croissant Cookie sat down on her bed with a long sigh of relief before remembering Timekeeper Cookie's words. "Sooo are you just going to stay here until I get to sleep?" They asked Timekeeper Cookie, who was now sitting down on her carpeted floor.
"Mhm! That's the plan!" They responded cheerily. Croissant Cookie shivered at the thought but at the same time the warmth from earlier flooded back to her cheeks. She tucker herself under the covers and asked for Timekeeper Cookie to turn of the lights. They nodded and complied, as darkness flooded the room. She closed her eyes, as sleep started to take her she wondered if Timekeeper Cookie would still be here when she woke up.
- - - - - ⊹ ࣪ ˖⏱ ୭˚. ᵎ
Morning came as Croissant Cookie was awoken by the call of a blueberry bird. They yawned, stretching their arms and glanced over at where Timekeeper Cookie was. To her surprise, they were still there and fast asleep despite their claims that they don't need sleep. She gently smiled and quietly got up from her bed as to not disturb them. She walked next to them, and fuel by a feeling they did not know, they did something they could not believe. She crouched down to Timekeeper Cookie and gently pressed their lips against their soft cheek.
Croissant Cookie backed away, gazing lovingly at Timekeeper Cookie. They came back to reality when she saw their arm twitching, warmness instantly engulfing her. She quickly moved to the door, hurrying to get out of the door before Timekeeper Cookie woke up. She was already in her work outfit from last night so she didn't need to change, thankfully. She just hoped that when they woke up they wouldn't remember anything...